Queen Studios / InArt to do sixth scale figures

[Nagoya]

Don’t really want to watch the full thing. Anywhere to view highlights?

90 minutes of fluff, next year more news and they're working on Matrix 1 or 2.

 

[Mike86]

Saw that post but is that really it?

 

[Nagoya]

Saw that post but is that really it?

The interviewers were great but the questions were kind of lowball and were worded to give a lot of leeway in response. Mostly talks in circles about possible plans and the few details they gave were kind of predictable.

Production:

• Planning to expand distribution options in the US, plans with entertainment earth, BBTS, and comic concepts
• Supposedly seeking to improve their magnetic bases
• Vehicles, especially larger ones, on the back burner, but first bat cycle planned to be unveiled by end of year

Specific figures:

• Their original “phase 1” lineup has had “some cancellations” but obviously no official confirmations yet as to which one(s) (definitely Mera LOL)
• Sounds like Black Adam may be off the table
• Confirmed again that WB wants Phoenix Joker merchandise to be $1000USD minimum, so a huge diorama base and loads of accessories can be expected to help make up the price (lol)

 

[Mike86]

The interviewers were great but the questions were kind of lowball and were worded to give a lot of leeway in response. Mostly talks in circles about possible plans and the few details they gave were kind of predictable.

Production:

• Planning to expand distribution options in the US, plans with entertainment earth, BBTS, and comic concepts
• Supposedly seeking to improve their magnetic bases
• Vehicles, especially larger ones, on the back burner, but first bad cycle planned to be unveiled by end of year

Specific figures:

• Their original “phase 1” lineup has had “some cancellations” but obviously no official confirmations yet as to which one(s) (definitely Mera LOL)
• Sounds like Black Adam may be off the table
• Confirmed again that WB wants Phoenix Joker merchandise to be $1000USD minimum, so a huge diorama base and loads of accessories can be expected to help make up the price (lol)

Interesting that we could see an expansion of InArt figures to some US websites. I have no problem with ordering from Kit but it would be nice to have other options stateside.

Odd about the Phoenix Joker price mandate. Maybe we’ll get another Joker two pack (normal Arthur and as full-on Joker possibly).

 

[DioramaMaker]

Can someone more educated on the subject than I am please explain distribution in this instance?

Let's say they get BBTS on board for retail. Their licenses seem to be locked to China right now. Would BBTS simply "buying" them from overseas, and then reselling them on their own accord allow InArt to circumnavigate that problem?

 

[Nagoya]

Interesting that we could see an expansion of InArt figures to some US websites. I have no problem with ordering from Kit but it would be nice to have other options stateside.

Collaborating with BBTS would be very wise, but they seem very strict on selling only licensed products, so I have no clue how they’d be selling products which aren’t legally licensed in the US.

EE is lesser known and underrated—they usually don’t charge NRDs though, so I wonder if they’d start since IA’s figs have had generally pretty high deposit costs compared to the typical 10%~ total HT do.

The curious thing was John specifically mentioning smaller retailers. Wouldn’t they just be wasting their resources sending small batch shipments out to places that move less figures? Maybe they want as many options as possible for sales or else help their products be recognised by retailers as a desirable, guaranteed-to-sell market.

 

[Mike86]

Wonder if they’d look to expand the licensing to include the US officially. They have to know a lot of people from the US are buying. Not being able to directly market here officially seems like it doesn’t make a ton of sense. Not sure how that all works out legally and whatnot.

 

[Earth 616 Collector]

BBTS would only be selling the ones with global license. He said so far Dune and the Michael Jackson will have a global license. Once they get that base distributer set, they can go after more.

 

[DioramaMaker]

Collaborating with BBTS would be very wise, but they seem very strict on selling only licensed products, so I have no clue how they’d be selling products which aren’t legally licensed in the US.

Don't they sell a lot of third party transformers stuff too?

 

[Nagoya]

Don't they sell a lot of third party transformers stuff too?

Sorry, no clue.
I do remember that they pulled POs and refunded the only 1/6 Alice: Madness Returns figure last year after it was determined it wasn’t licensed after some initial confusion

 

[Giimli86]

@27:55
John confirms they are going down deep in the LOTR and HP line.

Joaquin Phoenix Joker will be with Diorama and will cost 1000 USD.

@57:25
Next year according to John they will have 13 or 14 but def less than 20 figures for Order.

 

[Darth-Flan]

Next year according to John they will have 13 or 14 but def less than 20 figures for Order.

My wallet thanks them….I think?

 

[Godfather1408]

The only reason I'd want them to get the Disney licence is for Jack sparrow and Barbossa, other than that I really hope to see classic licenses.

Even some more music ones but definitely classics.

 

[Nagoya]

@27:55
John confirms they are going down deep in the LOTR and HP line.

That’s literally the opposite of what he said.

He used the HP and LotR fanbases as examples of collectors who want a seriously deep line, but he says immediately afterwards that the more they stray from the most iconic protagonists, the more they’re likely to lose a bunch of money since sale numbers will be heavily considered when IA determines what figures to make in general.

 

[Pharaoh 117]

That’s literally the opposite of what he said.

He used the HP and LotR fanbases as examples of collectors who want a seriously deep line, but he says immediately afterwards that the more they stray from the most iconic protagonists, the more they’re likely to lose a bunch of money since sale numbers will be heavily considered when IA determines what figures to make in general.

That's the sensible approach to take. Most collectors think that just because he is interested in secondary and tertiary figures every fan of that franchise also are, when in reality the public for these figures shrink down considerably even for massive franchises.

 

[Mogli]

Glad to hear no focus on anime, but I'm sure someone will ask every interview anyway lol. They've stopped mentioning trying to get shows like The Boys, Peaky Blinders etc., so I guess those are off the table (no Cillian Murphy for me lol), he instead said maybe only one or two newer things which I thought he implied included Joker 2. When he said they'll focus on stuff we grew up with that was very confusing, besides the mega-franchises of LotR and HP they're not focusing on nostalgic properties at all.

 

[Nagoya]

When he said they'll focus on stuff we grew up with that was very confusing, besides the mega-franchises of LotR and HP they're not focusing on nostalgic properties at all. I guess they mean remakes of stuff that other companies have already done over the years.

Who even is “we”?

I’m 25 and guess I “grew up” with the films, even though I didn’t see all of them at release; but do older collectors associate their love for HP and LotR as things they grew up with?
I think I’ve heard that Chinese collectors trend towards a younger age range, but I’d still be really surprised if InArt didn’t take the opportunity over HT and dominate the collectible market nostalgic for 80s-90s media.

 

[Mike86]

It seems like any time they’ve brought up licenses it tends to be films from like 2000s onwards. Not really sure if they plan to focus on much of anything that skews older.

 

[Chopper Face]

China doesn’t give a crap about properties the West holds dear from the 80s and 90s and HT only keeps those big licenses to ensure no other company can profit from them.

It’s 3rd Party or nothing at this point.

 

[Mogli]

Who even is “we”?

I’m 25 and guess I “grew up” with the films, even though I didn’t see all of them at release; but do older collectors associate their love for HP and LotR as things they grew up with?
I think I’ve heard that Chinese collectors trend towards a younger age range, but I’d still be really surprised if InArt didn’t take the opportunity over HT and dominate the collectible market nostalgic for 80s-90s media.

Yeah I was confused if he was including HP and LotR in that, I'm beginning to think he was and was also including the first Matrix, I wonder if something as new as John Wick would also be something we all "grew up with". If they go for 80s-90s licenses that'll be amazing, I hope that's what he was hinting at but I have doubts since we know they focus on later stuff that China likes as others have said.